gottschau



C.' M, GOTTSCHAU UNWINDING, FEEDING, AND WINDING MEGHNISI.

Filed April 25, 1925 4 Shees-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR yu'rolrwm"v Oct. '15,1929. c. M. GoTTscHAu 1,731,490

UNVYIINDING, FEEDING, AND WINDING MECHANIS Filed April 25, 1925 4sheets-sheet 2 Y INVENTOR mmmmm 'ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1929. c, M, GOTTSCHAU1,731,490

UNWINDING, FEEDING; AND WINDING MECHANISH n Filed April 25. 192s45mm-s119915 5 A TTORNE Y l Och 15, 1929 c. GoT'rscHAu- 1,731,490

UNWINDING, FEEDING, AND WINDING MECHANISK Filed April 25. 1925 4Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY- Patented Oct. l5, 1929 f UNI-TED STATESe'Hii'isrIAN M GoTTsoHAU, oF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssiGNon, BYMESNE APxrlaiirr oi-"FicE ASSIGNMENTS, TO PICTURE MACHINE SERVICECORPORATION, OF DENVER, COLO- K RADOv Application mea April 25,

c The present invention is a continuation in part of my co-pendingapplication entitled Keeling apparatus, `Serial No. 524,189, filedDecember 22nd, 1921, and relates to a stripv unwinding, feeding andwinding mechanism,

particularly adaptable to moving picture projection apparatusor camerasand other mechanism such as piano player rollwinding apparatus themechanism forming a ,lo particularly useful combination with that typeof, motion picture projection apparatus arranged to unwind, feed, andspirally wind a [ilm in such a manner as to locate a point, such yas thebeginning of the film, in position on the wound up iilm to unwind againin the same manner with the proper sequence of pictures as beforewithout necessitating a film past the projecting apparatus at aunirewinding Aof thefilm in order to permit a second use of the same. In'therparticular motion-picture art, whether rewinding is eliminatedornot, as it isdesired to feed the formspeed, it is necessary to providefor a variationin the rotating speeds of the unwindin'gand windingsupports due to the continually changing diameters of the film reelsasthe film is unwound from the one and Wound upon the' other. Moreover,in this connection, the variable speeds of the unwinding and windingreels while being sulstantiallyl the same,fmust differ one from theotherby a certain amount because of that yportionfof the strip which islocatedin the mechanism between the reels. In'addition to this, I havediscovered vthat it is highly desirable toV provide means for varyingthe speed ratio of the unwinding and winding reels to compensate forlach: ofV uniform tension on the film 4or for varying climaticconditions which affect the film or for variation in thickness ofthefilm throughout the entire lengthv thereof and it is an object of the Ipresent invention toprovide means tovary the speed ratio of theunwinding and winding supports orreels in any mechanism in which a stripis unwound from its spirally woundroll on one reel or plate and spiraliy.wound on another reel in order to compensate for the aforesaid andother variations.

A Vfurther` object of the'present invention UNWiNniNG, manine, -ANDWi-NniNe ivineiiANisivi lisas. semi No. 634,474.- Y

is to provide such amechanism in a structure in which Aa rewinding iseliminated by arranging a mechanism to spirally wind a strip from onereel on another and locate a point such as the beginning of the strip insubstantially the same relativeposition on the Woundy up reel as it hadin the reel of the strip before unwin'ding. v`

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism ofthis character in which the speed of the unwinding and winding reelsalso has sulicient diiference as to 'i normally compensate for theamount of the strip taken up in the apparatus in which the mechanism isused.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an entirecombination with a construction for feeding a strip in any desiredapparatus at a constant speed, for un- Y winding the strip from aspirally wound roll at a varying speed to compensate for variationsindiameter of the reel as VVthetilm is unwound, for winding the same inya similar manner -as wound and for providing means to vary the speedratio 0f the reel during the operation of the mechanism. Y

A further object of the present invention Vis to providea mechanism ofthe character indicated, in which the strip is unwound Y from thecentral portion of the spirally wound film and rewound upon a centralportion outwardlywith means for varying the relativeV speeds of theunwindingvand winding reels. J

` vA further obj ect ofthe present invention is to provide a type ofwinding reel which permits the hub thereof to be removed when the filmwound thereon is to beinserted upon the unwinding reel so that the filmmay be un- Various other objects are within the scope of this inventionsuch as relate to the arrangement of the related elements of thestructure, to various details of construct-ion, to economies ofmanufacture, and to each of the other features of novelty as will appearfrom a consideration of the details of the drawing and relateddescription of a. certain form of the invention which may be preferred7in which drawings:

Figure l is an elevational view partly in section of the presentinvention for moving picture projecting apparatus;

Figure la is a detail of the winding reel center Figure 2 is a verticalsectional view of the winding reel and driving mechanism therefor;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of the driving mechanism forthe unwinding turn table showing` one embodiment of means for varyingthe relative speeds of the nnwinding turn table or reel and the windingreel;

Figure tv is a. sectional View taken on the line l--l of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the driving connection permittingangular adjustment of the upper turn table; l

Figure (i is a planview 'of the adjustable reel retaining upperturntable; Figure i' is a "section thereof on the line T T of Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a detail of the adjustment retaining means. I Y y l/Vhilethe present invention has a large varietyfof uses indicated above andothers as will appear to those skilled in the art, yet it is illustratedherein as embodied in a moving picture projecting apparatus whichconstitutes an iinprovei'iient of my efr-pending application abovereferred to.

Thusthere is illustrated in Figure l a feeding mechanism l0 forv movingpicture lilm l2 adapted to be fed at fixed intervals at a constantvelocity ipast a suitable opening lilthrough which light projects tocause the lilm to be reproduced on the screen as will be understood bythose skilled in the art. rilhe Afilm l2 is unwou'nd from the unwindingreel plate oi turn table 16 and 'rewound on the reel 18 since the iilmVvpasses the opening lll at a fixed velocity and is spirally wound in acoil on the reel 18. llt vwill be seen that in order to maintain adesired linear speed of the film on the reel correspondingto that of thefeeding mechanism l0, it will be necessary to `diminish the speed of thereel 18 as the film l2 is wound thereon.

lnfFigure 2a suitable mechanism for accomplishing this end isillustrated, wherein the Areel 18 is mounted on the shaft 20 supported"in the'bearing 2l of the bracket 22 and adapted to be Ydriven througha. slip clutch arrangement Jfrom the 4driving pulley 2li which maylikewise be mounted on the bearing 26 on the bracket 22 and driven by abelt 28 from the pulley 30 which in turn is rotated by a motorpreferably located within the casing Sil for the feeding mechanism. Asuitable slip clutch which may likewise form means whereby the tensionwith which the iihn l2 is wound on the reel 18 may be varied consists inproviding a clutch disc 38 con` nected by pins d() to be positivelydriven by the pulley and providing the shaft 2l with a driving disc l2suitably secured thereto by the set screw t. lt is desirable to providethe disc ft2 with a leather friction ring rlhe tension of the drivingconnection through the friction clutch may be determined by a spring 48bearing between a collar 50 abutting the hub of the clutch disc 38 onone end and a collar f2 scrcw-tlneaded at 5e on the end of the shaft 2l.'lhe position of the collar 52 may be adjusted as desired and locked inadjusted position by the lock nut 5G, as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art.

Any suitable driving connection between thc roel i8 and the shaft 20which may permit the reel i8 with the iilm when wound thereon to bebodily removed therefrom, may be ei'nployed. rlChe lilin is providedwith perferations which engage in teeth in sprocket wheels in thefeeding mechanism to thus form a positive engagement with the feedingmechanism l0 operating at a constant velocity stated. lt thereforefollows that the film l2 follows and enters the feeding mechanism at aconstant velocity. From a, diccl'iarge sprocket the film enters thclower magazine casing G0 for winding upon the reel 18. lil/lith eachsuccessive `rotation of this reel, as heretofore suggested, the diameterincree-.ses7 the amount being equal to twice the thickness of the film,a moving picture lilm boing usually regarded as .O08 of an inch inthickness so that with cach turn of the lilm on the reel, the diameterincreases .OlG of an inch. The speed of the yreel 18, when empty7 isusually slightly more than that at which the film l2 comes from thedischarge sprocket of the feeding iiiechanism. ils the lilm l2 is woundinto the lroll on the reel lll and the same increases in dian'ieter, thelihn will thus have a retarding influence upon the receiving reel andcause a constant slippage to take place in the frietion'clutch 38. Thete cion with which the film becomes wound on 'the reel is determined bythe amount of torque given the clutch through the spring 48.5 it beingdesirable to reduce this tension us much as possible to avoid tearingthe (ihn in the sprocket holes and in the joints.

As heretofore indicated, thc tilm l2 is lo he delivered to the feedingmechanism from a roll located in the reel or plate or turn table 16 inthe upper magazine 6st-v and as the dialueter of the roll varies withthe feeding oll thc lUl) film, in order to maintain a constant linearvelocity of the film tothe feeding mechanism it will be apparent that itwill be desirable to likewise drive the upper turn table 16 at aconstantly varying rate of speed.

The present invention is shown applied to that type of unwinding,feeding and winding mechanism in which a certain portion of the film isunwound, fed and rewound in such a manner as to permit of reuse of thefilm without an intermediate rewinding thereof. The turn table l16 isdriven with a constantly diminishing velocity the same as the reel 18(at a reduced speed as will hereinafter appear). I provide a drivingconnection from the shaft 21 to the turn table 16 through the medium ofthe train of gear 66, shaft 67 (see Figures 1 and 2) bevel gears 68,vertical shaft 69, universal joint and the gear train 71 located in thelower portion of the upper magazine 64. The gear train 71 is adapted todrive the turn table 16 through a mechanism permitting a variation yofthe speedthereof with respect to the reel 18, as will hereinafterappear. As explained in my co-pending application heretofore referredto, in view of the fact that a certain number of feet of film isrequired in passing from the unwinding film to the winding reel 18, thespeed of the tur-n table 16 is somewhat less than the speed of thereceiving reel 18. It has been found in practice that this speed ratioshould normally b e 9961/2 to 100 and the train of gears 66 and- 71 ismade tov reduce the speed this amount.

As heretofore stated, an essential object of the present invention is toprovide means whereby the relative speeds of the unwinding reel, plateor turn table and the winding reel may be varied to compensate forvariations caused by change of tension, varying climatic conditions andan actualv variation in the thickness of various parts of the filmthroughout its length. An efiicient mechanism for this purpose isprovided as shown in Figures3 and 4 between the gear train 71 and theturn table 16. The turn table 16 is mountl ed on-the taper end 7 3.ofthe turn table shaft 75, which is supported in a ball bearing 77 capableof receiving both lateral and end thrusts:

.The lower end'of the shaft 75 is guided in the hollow stem or gearshaft 7 9. The gear box 80 supports the gear 7 land its shaft, as shown,and klikewise carries the gear 81 which is driven from the gear 71. Thisgear 81 is loose on the shaft 79 and is thicker than the gear 71, sothat the teeth 82'may engage both the teeth of the gear 71' and theinternal gear teeth on the ringp83 carried by the plate 84 which issecured tothe shaft 79. rIhe power is transmitted fromv the gear shaft 79 to the turn table spindlef7 5 through the medium of a planetary geartransmission whereby thc` speed of the turn table spindle may beretarded, accelerated Vor driven at thesame speed asthe speed of thegear 83 with the plate 84 to which it is attached and consequently thehollow shaft 79. This planetary gear system includes an upper plate 85,planetary pinions 86 andthe lower plate 87. The gear 88 is permanentlysecured to the turn table spindle 75 and is in continuous mesh with theplanetary pinions. Likewise, the toothed end 89 of the gear shaft 79 isin constant mesh with the planetary pinions 86. Means are provided toapply a braking action to the planetary gear-carrier in the form of aplunger 90 suitably supported in a bearing 91 in the gear box 80, thelower end of the stem 92 of which projects downwardly into closeproximity to an oscillating arm 93 connected to the transverse shaft 94to be operated thereby. The upper end of the plunger 90 is made hollowand is guided on the stud 95, there being a spring 96 between the studand the bottom hollow portion of the plunger to maintain the samenormally out of contact with the carrier plate 85. An arm 97 bears onthe lower end of the hollow shaft 79 and may be made integral with thearm 93 as clearly shown in Figure 3. A spring 98 is located between thelower end of the turn table spindle 75 and the bottom of the hollowshaft 79 as shown for the purpose of normally maintaining the shaft 79and the gears carried thereby in mesh with the driving gear 81, as willhereinafter appear.

In view of the fact that the present invention contemplates anarrangement in which rewinding is eliminated and in the specificillustration the construction provides for withdrawing the film from thecenter in unwinding from the turn table 16,r I have provided a removablewinding reel 18 with a collapsible hub to facilitate the application ofthe film on the turn table 16 for use thereof in the apparatus after thesame has been previously wound on the reel 18 in the same machine or insome other machine from which the film is received.

.able hub'member 100 to which is secured a plate 101 having a pluralityof radial spokes 102 connected at the periphery by a strip 103 U-shaped.To form the rear guide 104 for the film as the same winds upon the reel18 the winding reel 18 carries a similar com-v plementary outside frame105, the inner ends of the spokes of which are secured to a plate 106having a central member attached to bearing member 107 for receiving theshaft 20.` Theshaft openings in hub members and 107, or either of them,may be of non-circular form by which means the shaft may drive the hubas will be understood by those skilled in the art. To the plate 106 isriveted a plurality of transverse studs 109 which are like- `wiseriveted to the -side plate 110 of the hub.

Y 110 Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that ter, 1 have providedmeans cured to the transverse studs 109 with the channel portionsthereof in Contact with plates 106 and 110.

rllhe collapsible portion of the hub is termed by providing a springband 115 riveted to the channel member 113 at the bottom port-ionthereoil as indicated in Figure 2 by the rivets 116, the opposite endsthereot overlapping, as shown at 117. (See Figure 1a.) @ne of the freeends 118 of the band 115 is normally drawn toward the center ot the hubby a spring- 119, while the other end 120 is connected to an eccentric121 provided with a handle 122, so that as the handle is turnedclockwise, as is shown in Figure 1E, the end 120 moves therewith and theend 118 will move inwardly by reason ot the spring 119 until the handle122 contacts with the rim 115, thus collapsing,l `he periphery oi thehub or reducing the diameter suiliciently to permit of the removal ofthe llhn roll after the guide members 10G-103 have been removed from theshaft by first uuscreiving` the re movable hub member 1GO.

As trie lllm is to be unvvound vfrom the eenn suppertingJ films otvarious diameters their periplieries on the upper turn table 16.leierring to Figures 6, 7 and 8, the turn table 16 may consist of asheet metal disc 160 riveted as at 161 to a central mounting` 162connected to and driven with the turn table spindle 76. '.lfhe dise 160has a flange 164 and a plurality ot curved slots 166. Resting on the topot the disc 160 are a plurality oi curved film retaining movable members168., carried by pins 170 as shown which extend downwar i through theAslots 166 in the disc 166. is provided :tor simultaneously adjusting`the several curved plates 168 to retain the rolls or" films ot differentdiameters. Thus, the pins 170 are connected to parallel link i einbers172, each connected with links 173 to a central star plate 174, suitablysupported on the hub 162. An operating handle 176, ot sheet metal, whichmay be integral with the star plate extends outwardly beyond the edgeotl the disc 160 and may be sprung` upwardly to cause engagement et anupturned portion thereof with any one ot several notches 181 cut in therim of disc 166. A linger piece 182 on the handle 176 muy be used todepress the handle out ot engagement ot the notches 181 and by s ingingthe suine the members 166 are moved inward to engage the periphery 01"'a film roll, after the same has been placed on the turn table and lockedin position by the engagement of the lug,l in the proper notch 181.

As heretofore indicated, the present invention also has for an object anadjustable mounting and driving connection for the turn table 16 and tothis end l have provided a gear box and support 13,0 carrying a casing131 which is provided with suitable windows 132 so that the operator mayobserve the iiln'l in action. r1`he gear box 130 is attached at 13dv toa support 135 which is in turn attached to the upper part or themechanism. il. 'feature ot the invention also includes means whereby thelilm passing trom the `eeur boi; 136 to the teetliiigl mechanism 111will always be enclosed regardless olf the zuliustment ot the gear boxand turn table 16 so that l provide a curved portion 136 on the rear box130, the center of which is the pivot ll-le. This curved portion itsprovided with an opening` -37 to permit the lihn to pass therethrolurh,the position ot the opening; heiligVA such relative to the pivot 1341that the lilm there-v through is at all times treo regardless oi thepositions ot adjustment olf the Voir bor; und turn table relative to thesupport` within the lin'iits oit the design oi the particularapparutus.. The support 135 has an arin 116.. while the gear bei; 136has a pivotod linl; 11:1 pro vided with a series ol holes 142 torvarious adjustments with respect to an openingl 1-13 t 1411). il. pin1liin ine iorhed end ot' the arm secures the link 111 in. varitnispositions olE ad'iustment so that it will be seen that the 130 may bestirringabout the pivot lill ul in various positions oi adjustment linkM1.

ln order to provide tor an uninterruptod tlf-givingv connectionirrespective oiE the posi tion oi adjustment et the turn table 161 lhave provioed a universal driving); connor tion trom the Ashaft 6l) tothe rear train i 1 as indicated at 70, the same being' in alienment withthe pivot 13A/l; tor the girar bm; 1210. Referring' to Figure 5,detailed construetien for the universal joint i0 is shown in thecup-shaped n'ieinber 150 secured to the shat't 69 and provided withnotches 151 to receive the arms 152 carried by the hailed end ll ol theshatt 151 to the irst gear 155 ol" the gear train Z 1. The shait 154Cand its girar 1553 are hun@l from a transverse plate 156 as will heevident trom an inspection oit Figure 5.

@perf/H021,

A roll et the iilin is placed on the turn table 16 ai'rter the same hasbeen resuzavml train a machine with the reel 16 and guide 'trame portion165 attached therewith. The cani handle 1221s moved clock-wise to collahub whereupon the rcel 1S and traine 165 are simultaneously reniowdAfrom the lihn. The inner end of the lilni is then threaded over andthrough the suitable rollers to the tomb ingl mecliunisni 111, the discharge sprocllet. and on 'to the receiving' or winding reel lil. AThepower is turned on and the motor drives the shaft 21 through the slipclutch 3S in the um ner heretofore indicated, the clutch slipping;

s the diameter of the wound up hlm on the reel 18 increases toconstantly diminish the speed of the reel. The gear connections from theshaft 21 through the vertical shaft 6l),

Cit

f train of gears 71 and planetary transmission the Yconnection to theupper magazine. The

Ami

operator canobserve the action of the unwinding reel through the windowsin the casing 131 and as the tension ofthe same will be indicated inthemanner in which the film leaves theconvolutions of the roll he may turnthe handle of the shaft 94 in one direction or Ithe other to increase ordecrease the speed of the Y turn table 16. By turning the shaft 94counter-clockwise the arm 97 will raise the shaft 7 9 and consequentlythe gear83 out of driving connection with the gear train 71 and thespeed ofthe turn table 16 will diminish due to friction to an amountdependent upon the time which the operator holds the gear connectionsbroken. If the operator desires to increase the speed ratio of theunwinding table orY reel 16 and the wind reel 18, the shaft 94 is turnedclockwise or in the opposite direction whereupon the arm 93 raises theplunger 92 with the braking plate 9() moving into contact with the brakeelement 85 of the planetary gear transmission. As the size of theplanetary gears 86 on each end thereof vary, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the sun gear88connected to the turn tablespinle 75 will now be driven at increased s ee pWhen the operatorreleases his torque upon the handle of the shaft 94, the spring 98 inoneV case and the spring 96 in the other case returns the parts tonormal position as will be readily seen. Y

- Thev further manipulations of theapparatus described with respecttothe adjustment of the turn table 16 to the horizontal on the pivot 184and the manipulation of the collapsible hub 18, requires, in view of theforegoing description ofthe mechanism andV possibilities and proper use.

It is to'be understood'that various other means could be employed forgetting the gear reduction of the requiredamount between the speed ofthe winding reel 18 and the unwinding reel 16. It is likewise apparentthat either construct-ions for increasing fordecreasing Ythe speedoffeither the turn table 16 or the reel 18, one relative to the other,should be employed and that the control of the same can" be manuallyoperated or automatically operated, depending upon the use to which theapparatus be put. l

`It is apparent that within the spirit of the invention modificationsand different` arrangements may be made other than as hereindisclosed,and the present disclosure is illustrative merely, theinvention comprehendingall variations illustrated.

Y Having thus described my invention what I desire to secure by LettersPatent and claim is 1. Apparatus of the. type described, which comprisesan unwinding strip support permittin(T unwinding a stri from theinterior y of a roll; a winding support; driving means for one of saidsupports; transmission means for rotating said unwinding strip supportin a definite relation to the rotation of the winding support; and meansfor progressively modifying in eithervdirection the speed ratio throughsaid transmission means.

2. Apparatus of the type described, which comprises an unwinding stripsupport permitting unwinding a strip from the interior of a roll; awinding support; driving means for one of saidsupports; transmissionmeans for rotating said unwinding strip' support in a definite relationto the rotation of the winding support; means for disconnecting the Vthrough said transmission means.

4. Apparatus of the type described, which comprises an unwinding stripsupport permitting unwinding a stripfrom the interior of a roll; awinding support; driving means for said winding support; transmissionmeans for driving said unwinding strip support from said driving meansin a definite relation to that of the winding support; manually operablemeans for modifying the speed ratio through said transmission means; andmeans for returning the speed ratiov through said transmission means tonormal upon release of said manually operable means.

5. Apparatus of the type described, which comprises an unwinding stripsupport permitting unwinding a strip from the interior of a roll; awinding support; driving means forv saidV winding support; transmissionmeans for driving said unwinding strip support from said driving meansin a definite relation to the speed of said winding support;

`manually operable means for gradually in- Cil comprises an unwindingstrip support permitting unwinding a strip from the interior of a roll;a Winding support; driving means for said winding support transmissionmeans ior driving said unwinding strip support from said driving` meansin a deiinite relation to the speed of said Winding support; a.modifying means manually actuable to progressively vary the speed ratiothrough said transmission means; and resilient means for normallyholding said modifying means out or actuating position.

7. Apparatus ol the type described, Which comprises an unwinding stripsupport permitting unvvinding a strip lrom the interior ot a roll; aWinding support; driving means for said Winding support; transmissionmeans for driving said univinding strip support from said driving meansin a delinite relation to the speed of said Winding support; means fordisconnecting the transmission through said transmission means; amodifying means actuable to increase the speed ratio to continuouslyprogressive stages; and an actuating means movable in oppositedirections to operate one or the other of said modifying or saiddisconnecting means, and resiliently returning to nonactuating positionupon release.

8. ln combination, an univinding spirally coiled strip support, awinding support, means to drive both said supports and means to vary therelative speeds of one with respect to the other, comprising adisengageable driving connection in the driving means for one of saidsupports, a planetary gear set in the driving` means for one of saidsupports, and means to cause a speed variation in the povvertransmit-ted through said planetary gear set.

9. ln combination an unvfinding spiral strip support, a Winding support,means to drive both said supports and means to vary the relative speedsthereof, comprising a disengageable driving connection and a planetarygear set in the driving means lor one of said supports and manuallyoperable means y to-disengage said connection or increase the speed ortransmission through said planetary gear set.

l0. A driven turn table, a casing therefor, a gear box carrying thesame, a support, said gear box being pivot-ed to said support, a linlconnecting said gear bon to a partoi1 said support adjustable to swingsaid box and turn table about said pivot and maintain said parts inadjusted position and means for guiding the strip as it leaves saidcasing and boit positioned axially of said pivot.

l1. Apparatus oi the type described, which comprises an unvvinding rollsupporting plate `having a number oit arc shaped slots centeredequidistant from the center of said plate and in approximate radialposition; a number of supporting posts, one for each of said slots,extending through and slidable in said slots; a

trainee pair ol parallel pivoted arms on said plate, one connected tosaid post; a link secured to said post and connected to the other olfsaid parallel arms; a rotatable spider centered on said plate; and anumber of links, one connecting said sp'der to one oil. each of saidpairs oil' arms.

l2. ln a reeling mechanism, a driven winding reel, an unwinding deviceadapted to pcrmit the unwinding o'l.l lilm from the inner portion oi allilm roll, transmission means ior driving said univinding device at aspeed slightly less than that oit said winding reel, manually actuatedmeans for disconnecting said transmission through said transmissionmeans, and means for automatically reconnecting said transmission uponthe release of said manually actuated means.

13. ln a reeling mechanism, a Winding reel, an unvfinding plate, meansttor clamping a film roll centrally on said unwinding plate, means forreceiving iilm from the inner portion of said roll, driving meansactuated trom 'aid Winding reel and arranged to rotate said unufindingplate, means includingseparable clutch mechanisms for disengaging saidunfinding plate 'from said transmission means,

and means normally returning and holding said clutch mechanism normallyin engaging position, whereby the unwinding plate may be adjusted ativill relative to lhc Winding reel.

Ll. ln reeling mechanism, a vertical ivinding reel, a train ot gearsdriven by said reel and adapted to reduce the speed of rotation, ahorizontal unwinding plate, a spindle supporting said plate, aif'crtical shaft geared to said gear train, a gear connection betweensaid shaft and said supporting spindle, a clutch between saidsupportiiig spindle and said connection arranged to connect anddisconnect said spindle from said gear connection, and resilientlyacting means tor holding and returning said clutch to connectingposition.

l5. ln a reeling mechanism, a Winding reel, a rotatable univinding plateadapted to per mit the iilm to be univound from the inner portion of thefilm roll, means lor driving said unwinding plate from, said windingrcel to give approximately equal linear speeds to the lilm leaving saidunwinding plate and the film being ivound on said reel, means for disengaging said unwinding plate from said reel to permit it to beindependently rotated, manually operable means for disengaging saiddisengaping means, and means for returning said discngaging means toengaging position upon the release oi3 said manually operable aeans.

16. ln a reeling mechanism, a horizontal unwinding plate adapted topermit i'ihn to be talten from the interior oi" a iilm roll, a windingreel, a train ot gears having a slightly decreasing gear ratio drivenirom said 'Winding vi it() lill) reel, a shaft driven by said geartrain, a bevel gear and a vertical shaft driven by said gear shaft, ahorizontal gear driven by said vertical shaft, a clutch plate adaptedlto rest on said horizontal gear and arranged to drive said unwindingplate, and means for lifting said clutch plate from said gear.

17. In a reeling mechanism, an unwinding plate adapted to permit film tobe unwound from the interior of a film roll, a winding reel, ahorizontal gear wheel, mechanismfor trans# mitting mot-ion from saidwinding reel to said gear at a slightly decreased speed, a clutch plateresting on said horizontal gear wheel and connected to drive saidunwinding plate Y and having a downwardly extending spindle, a bellcra-nk lever havingone arm extending below said spindle and a camarranged to be manually operated to move the other arm of said lever andlift said spindle and clutch plate.

18. In a reeling mechanism, an unwinding plate adapted to permit film tobe unwound l from the interior of a film roll, a winding reel,

a horizontal gear wheel, mechanism for transmitting motion from saidwinding reel to said gear at a slightly decreased speed, a clutch plateresting on said horizontal gear wheel and connected to drive saidunwinding plate and having a downwardly extending spindle, a leverhaving an arm bearing upwardly against the lower end of said spindle andmanually operable means for tilting said lever and lifting said spindleand clutch plate.

19. In a reeling mechanism, an unwinding plate adapted to permit film tobe unwound from the interior of a film roll, fingers slidable in aradial direction on said plate to grip the outer circumference of a filmroll, levers Y pivoted on said plate and arranged to move said lingers,a central lever adapted to be manually operated, and links connectingsaid levers to said central lever in a manner to move said levers andfingers as the centralk lever is rotated.` Y

20. Ina reeling mechanism, an unwinding plate adapted to permit film tobe unwoulld from .the interior of a roll, fingers slidable radiallytoward and away from the center of said'plate, and adapted to grip theouter circumference of a film `roll on said plate, levers pivoted onsaid plate and arranged to move said lingers, a central lever having anarm adapted to be manually operated, links connecting said levers tosaid central lever in a manner to cause said levers to be uniformlymoved as said cene tral lever is rotated, and means for holding saidmanually operated armina fixed position.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

.CHRISTIAN M. GOTTSCI-IAU.

